Gambling with Fate
by Prongs-James Potter
Summary: This is a prequel to the Harry Potter series. It is a story about the last few weeks of James and Lily Potter's lives and what happened.
1. The Order of the Phoenix   James POV

Yes the AN is long, I'm sorry. I won't have them this long in the future.

_**AN: **__(Something I didn't have in the original Chapter One, but decided that it would be good to add!) Okay, so _**Gambling with Fate_ starts roughly at the end of September. I've done TONS of research on all of this, and I don't believe that it says when Dumbledore heard the prophecy from Sybill Trelawney. I have been debating between two things: Sybill Trelawney was being interviewed to be Divination teacher, so it can be assumed that it was before the Hogwarts school year started. On the other hand, if the prophecy had been given before the school year started, wouldn't Dumbledore have decided to use the Fidelius Charm earlier. It was driving me mad, so for the sake of my sanity, I made my own choice. (Yes, it is based off of JKR's novel, but am I not given creative liberties?) I am saying that the prophecy was foretold during the first week of October in the year 1981. Feel free to correct me, but that doesn't mean that I will change it. I have come into the mindset that it was at the beginning of the month of October. Perhaps S. Trelawney only applied for the job when the old Divination teacher saw a Grim and dropped dead twenty-four hours later! Oh, wait. I think that was Ron's uncle! Oh well. Anyway, this AN is getting ridiculously long. So I'd better shut up soon or I will scare you all away! _**

**_Just a few closing remarks. If you don't like my fanfiction, don't read it! As far as I know I'm not holding a wand to your neck and brandishing it like a sharp knife (read the chapter to understand the joke *hint hint*). If you find an error (spelling, grammar, plot-line, etc.) feel free to tell me! How am I supposed to get better at this whole writing thing without the help of readers? Also, PLEASE REVIEW! I've seen TONS of hits/visitors on here, but no one is commenting. I really want your comments (and your soul *wink*). Even if they are 2 words long (though I hope that if you took time to read, that you would also take time to comment something worthwhile). I'm also open to any ideas. Obviously I am not just going to use the POV of one character, so feel free to suggest characters you want a POV from, and I will try my best! Guys, we have a full month in the life of James and Lily. Tell me what you think they would say and do. Give me ideas of what James would do if he sneaks out of the house using his Invisibility Cloak. Because I do want your opinions. If you don't have any opinions, I'm sure something will come to you later on *wink*. Okay now seriously, I'm shutting up because I'm sure this is getting EXTREMELY old! Thanksss for reading amigo! _**

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Gambling with Fate

A Fan-Fiction

**Chapter One:** _The Order of the Phoenix_

_(James POV)_

I walked into the dimly-lit room with Lily. It had a red hue that was caused by the window curtains that kept prying eyes out of the room. The light in the room was coming from five or six candles that were strategically placed around the room. We weren't even two steps into the room when we were both abruptly stopped by Sturgis Podmore. He aimed his wand at my chest with a sort of wild look. I watched him evenly for a few seconds before grinning, "I expect that you have a reason for pointing a stick at me and acting as though I am a Death Eater, Sturgis." I looked over his shoulder and saw Padfoot, with his wand out, waiting for the opportune moment.

"'Course I do James. You know how things are, no one can be trusted in these times," he gave me a slight grin and looked down. He had never been the assertive type, and my humor obviously made him feel stupid. "You know the drill," he added after a few seconds.

I nodded curtly, "Yes, I was merely wondering why you seem to think I might be under the Imperious Curse when this is my home. I was in this room only minutes ago you know." I looked over at Dumbledore and saw a twinkle in his eye that was rare in these times, I was amusing him at the very least. Glancing over, I saw Lily's disapproving look. She most likely considered this a 'Snivellus' all over again.

Sturgis looked up at my last words, "How do I know that a Death Eater didn't ambush you when you were putting your son in bed?" he was becoming quickly defensive. "The Imperious Curse can easily be placed upon the unaware. You know that just as well as I!" he snarled the last sentence, and his wand burned a hole in my shirt. I jumped back as the heat directly touched my chest.

I saw Padfoot lunge at Sturgis he held his wand as though it were a knife, the tip of the wand imbedded in Sturgis's neck, waiting for it's master's command. Sturgis let out a yelp of surprise and attempted to swing his wand around and use it on Padfoot. Before he was able to do so, Moony flicked his wand lazily from where he sat on a chair in the corner. The wand flew up into the air. Everyone watched its progress toward the ground, but before it reached its destination, Dumbledore gracefully reached out and plucked it out of the air, as if it was traveling at a much slower pace than it really was.

"That is quite enough." Dumbledore's calming voice broke through the silence that had been created as everyone had watched the wand and its progress. "Sturgis, that was quite uncalled for. Sirius, Lupin, please put your wands away. Although you showed loyalty in defending James, your actions were just as harsh as the words of Sturgis." Every eye followed Dumbledore as he walked over to Sturgis, Lily, Padfoot, and I. He handed Sturgis his wand back before addressing him, "Sturgis, although it is good for all of us to be on our guard, I have placed special protective enchantments around the Potter residence tonight. There will be no need for you to question James any more than you already have." He said this extremely politely, but it was obvious that he was angry about what had transpired.

After staring at Sturgis for what seemed to be minutes, but what was only stretched out seconds, he turned and walked back over to where he had been sitting in a reclining chair that he had conjured for himself. Dumbledore sat down in the chair and laced his fingers together across his chest. He closed his eyes. He was deep in thought, and didn't seem to be getting ready to resurface from this state for some time.

Everyone who had been standing prior to Dumbledore sitting down, all found various seats that were available around the room. Lily and I took the loveseat that was directly across from the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Although everyone was agitated, no one dared to say anything or ask any questions. Everyone wanted to know why we were having a meeting. It was evident that everyone was thinking along the same lines. The expressions of the thirteen members of the Order of the Phoenix portrayed similar questions to my own. Questions such as: Who is dead now? and Is the war over? I looked at Lily. It was clear to me what question was on her mind. She wanted to know who would never be among us again. I watched as her anxious eyes went from person to person. She was doing a headcount, seeing who wasn't here that should be. I followed suite and began a headcount of my own. I finished before her and waited until she had come to a conclusion.

After about two minutes she looked at me. Confusion was etched into her flawless face. There was no one missing that wasn't expected to be. We had lost six members of the Order of the Phoenix since it was formed by Dumbledore. The entire McKinnon family had been massacred by Death Eaters. Marlene had been recruited by Dumbledore himself, a personal favor he had asked of her; to join the Order.

Probably the most gruesome death that our organization had gone through was the death of Benjy Fenwick. He was mutilated by Lord Voldemort's supporters while doing something personal for Dumbledore and the Order. Caradoc Dearborn was the only member that was yet to be found. Before the members began to be murdered, Caradoc was reported missing. Efforts were all but extinguished in the search for him.

Gideon and Fabian Prewett were both slaughtered by a group of Death Eaters that were led by Antonin Dolohov. They fought bravely for their lives, but were outnumbered in the end. The most shocking and most recent death to occur was that of Dorcas Meadowes, who was killed by Lord Voldemort himself. All of these deaths, staggered though they are, have had profound impacts on how the members of the Order of the Phoenix act, react, and trust other people.

Except now it was at the point where no one trusted each other. Even inside the close friendships that are formed when an organization like the Order has an open rebellion. Voldemort had been causing doubt in the hearts of his enemies, and the doubt was making every person who didn't happen to be Voldemort himself (and whomever his Death Eaters happened to be) decide the world was now every man for himself, which was only more convenient for him. No one knew who his supporters were, or who was working for him and who wasn't. Everyone was aware that he could control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. Now, everyone was scared for themselves, their family, and their friends. The death toll had been rising every week; the disappearances even higher than the death toll. The Ministry was attempting to keep Muggles out of the Wizarding War, but Muggles were dying left and right as Death Eaters toyed with their victims.

Dumbledore opened his eyes, and everyone seemed to notice it at exactly the same moment. Whereas seconds before people had been deep in thought with the leader of the Order, all sixteen pairs of eyes focused on Dumbledore instead.

He looked around the room, looking at each face in turn: Lily, Wormtail, Mad-Eye, Moony, Padfoot, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Edgar Bones, Sturgis Podmore, Hagrid, Elphias Doge, Minerva McGonagall, Frank and Alice Longbottom and his own brother Aberforth. He seemed hesitant to begin, even though he had everyone's upmost attention without even asking for it. His eyes wandered to various candles that were flickering, he seemed hesitant to begin. I couldn't imagine why. Usually Dumbledore said what was on his mind, whether to get it over and done with, or because that was his nature, I had never figured out.

After a few more minutes, and several exasperated sighs from Elphias Doge, Dumbledore made eye contact with Lily and I. "First and foremost," he began, "I would like to thank James and Lily for allowing us to meet in their home. It is a great personal risk to them, and we should not take that lightly." A fleeting smile crossed his face as he said this. "Most of you, if not all of you, are most likely wondering why I asked you to come here today." He paused. I wondered if it was to add a dramatic effect, but that didn't seem like something that the Headmaster of Hogwarts would do. He drew in a deep breath before continuing, "I must ask something of Emmeline, Edgar, and Sturgis."

Once this first sentence was out, he rushed on. "Lord Voldemort has discovered the sport of hunting Mudbloods and Muggles more pleasurable as of late opposed to his regular hunting of any wizard who defies him. This leads me to believe that the attacks upon the Order of the Phoenix may be somewhat lessened if he has his Death Eaters focusing on easier prey. I have come to a theory as to why he may be doing this."

He drew another breath before rushing on at just as fast of a pace as before, if not faster. "The members of the Order of the Phoenix have done a marvelous job of defending themselves. Those who are no longer among us each took out a considerable about of Death Eaters before their time came. Both Frank and Alice Longbottom as well as James and Lily Potter have come face to face with Lord Voldemort and defied him.

"This leads me to believe that he is sustaining heavy losses from his devoted followers. Yes, there are those that are under the Imperious Curse, but amateur witches and wizards have been known to fight off this particular Unforgivable Curse over time. I believe that his forces are waveri–"

Moony stood up and began talking over Dumbledore. "Yes, yes. This is all very accurate Dumbledore. But you are talking about the witches and the wizards. There are other things besides human beings at his command. What of the giants? The other mythical creatures that he has under his power. Trolls. _Werewolves_. Dementors. Reports of dread and utter despair have been felt in Muggle towns all over the world. We aren't just talking about the general area. We're talking about the world. The witches and wizards he has corrupted are an extremely large number, and even if they are able to fight off the effects of the Imperious Curse, we are still left with the mythical creatures. What of them? Do we leave them be and wait for the world to be covered with dread and despair as the dementors breed off of one another? Do we sit back and let our guard partially down as werewolves bite our children? Both James and Lily as well as Frank and Alice have young children. Are we going to hang them out the window as a werewolf mutilates their corpses?" Lily shuddered at the last comment.

Dumbledore listened to all that Moony had to say. When Moony had finished asking his questions, he sat down and watched Dumbledore like a hawk. The ingenious wizard leaned back and stared back at Moony. "I was merely discussing the itches, wizards, and Muggles at that point Remus. But you bring up a valid argument. What of the giants, trolls, werewolves and dementors? Do we sit back and watch as they reek havoc throughout the world? The answer, for the time being, is yes. Though we are not exactly sitting back. We are biding our tim–"

Padfoot stood up this time, he looked more furious than Moony had, "In other words we sit back and allow Voldemort to get a leg up on us. We wait until he has better control over his forces, until he can get more loyal followers. Then we strike. We want him to be just as strong as we are, so that it is wizard against wizard. May the best win. Oh, and while we wait for him to get strong, let's go out and sit down in front of one of his hideouts. Maybe we could go on strike. Anything to make it easier for the Dark Lord to kill us like pigs going to a slaughterhou–"

Dumbledore had a spark in his eye. Not of laughter, or happiness, but of pure rage. Even with the look in his eyes, he still spoke calmly, as though no one had interrupted him, "Sirius, I realize that from your point of view–and most likely from the majority of the population in this room–I am giving in to exactly what Lord Voldemort wants. That is not the case. There is no possible way for the seventeen of us to take on all of the creatures that he has at his disposal. The dementors themselves are beginning to reproduce faster than I have ever seen. The giants and trolls however, are becoming fewer and fewer. Although it seems that most of the Wizarding world has become avid Voldemort followers, that is not the case.

There are thousands upon thousands of us in hiding, fighting against the wizards, witches, trolls, giants, dementors, and werewolves that are following Voldemort. There is a spark of hope. I suppose that if you wanted to, that you could go out and pick off giants and trolls one by one as they come across your trail. But with all the witches and wizards against Voldemort realizing that doing so is beneficial, adding seventeen other witches and wizards to the fray will not change the population of these creatures drastically. When I said that we would sit back, I meant the Order, not the entire Wizarding population." After saying all of this, Dumbledore was noticeably calmer. Everyone, even Moony and Padfoot were nodding at what Dumbledore had said. There was no denying that was he said was the truth. The only question that was left–in my mind at the very least–was what the mission would be for Emmeline, Edgar, and Sturgis.

"Er–Dumbledore?" Sturgis was holding his hand timidly in the air, like a schoolboy wanting to answer a question. Dumbledore nodded at Sturgis to continue. "What will Emmeline, Edgar, and I be doing for you? I believe you said you had something that you needed us to do?"

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "Yes, I do have something for the three of you to do. Because Voldemort seems to be taking a step back as he gets a tighter grip on his forces, I need the three of you to look into what he is doing. It may be that he is recruiting more into his tight group of what he calls his family. The _true_ Death Eaters. He may be strengthening the Imperious Curse that he has on some of his followers that have been forced into his allegiance. Whatever it is, I need to know. It is crucial to the next move we make in this war.

"The other thing that I need you three to do is to break the Imperious Curses that he has on people wherever and whenever you can. Some will be weaker than others, attempt to free the minds of those individuals first. If the curse is so strong that there is a risk of destroying the victims mind, leave them to do Voldemort's bidding for now. It is much easier to do that than to risk losing witches and wizards who may be vital to the resistance. Do you understand?"

The three of them nodded, the understood what they needed to do. "Good," Dumbledore nodded, "then I excuse you."

We all watched as Emmeline, Edgar, and Sturgis walked out of the room. Everyone waited until they heard the front door open and close before beginning murmured conversations with one another.

I looked around aimlessly until Dumbledore once again called us to order with what started as him simply clearing his throat, but quickly changed into what could only be called a coughing fit. By the time he was over his spasm, everyone had finished their conversations and he once again had their full attention. I wondered to myself if he had purposefully had a coughing fit so that everyone had the appropriate amount of time to conclude the small conversations that they had been having with one another.

"At the close of our meeting, I would like to once again say what I said at the beginning. And that is: many a thanks to James and Lily for their hospitality. Be cautious and safe in your doings, and when we need to meet again, I will get word to each of you," he told us all, switching his gaze periodically between the fourteen of us. "That is all for now."

It seemed that everyone stood up as one. Only Dumbledore, Lily and I stayed sitting. Gradually nine of the fourteen Order of the Phoenix members that were in the room filtered out. The only people remaining were Dumbledore, Padfoot, Moony, Lily, and myself. Once the room had an eerie silence imposed upon it, Dumbledore stood up and smiled, "Well," he said, "I wish the four of you the best in these times." And with that, the most brilliant wizard I had ever met walked out of the room.

I turned my attention to Moony and Padfoot, who were both standing next to the doorway as though they had just personally escorted Dumbledore and the other witches and wizards out of the house. I grinned. Even in the dark times that were surrounding us, there was always time to spare for friends.


	2. Loyalty To Friends James POV

**_AN: A big shout-out to my beta EsmeCarlisle1921 and to Enigmatic Fragment for reviewing. *cough* Maybe other people could review as well... *wink*. _**

**_Thanks for the support!_**

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**Chapter Two: **_Loyalty To Friends – No Matter What_

_(James POV)_

"What do you think about all that?" Padfoot sat down in the chair that Dumbledore had been sitting in moments before.

"You mean Dumbledore wanting to turn his back on everything that is happening?" Moony asked, pulling up a chair and joining in on the conversation.

"Dumbledore isn't turning his back on anything!" Lily objected hotly. "If he was he wouldn't have sent Emmeline, Sturgis, and Edgar to reverse Imperious Curses and finding out exactly what You-Kno–"

"Lily! You've dueled Voldemort three times with Prongs and got away! And you still refuse to use his name! Dumbledore uses it!" Padfoot cut her off, but smiled at her. It was obvious he wanted to joke with her.

"That doesn't mean that you should use it Padfoot. He's still a powerful wizard. And I suppose that I got into the habit because everyone else who was using the name You-Know-Who. I've never felt the need to seem bold and arrogant by using a name that everyone fears." Lily hadn't taken it the way he had hoped she would. I reached out and wrapped my arm around her casually, but pulled her close and kissed the top of her head in a reassuring way.

Padfoot opened his mouth and shut it again. He couldn't think of a retort. Finally he replied, "Dumbledore is a brilliant wizard. No one is afraid of using his name. People are just irrational."

"She has a point Padfoot." I said quickly, before she could say anything. "Dumbledore doesn't go around slaughtering the innocent like Voldemort does."

"Even your _husband_ says the name Lils!"

"It's a personal choice Black." Lily said coldly, but immediately smiled.

"Okay, okay. _Personally_, I think that you should use the name Voldemort."

I walked over to Padfoot and whispered in his ear, "And _personally_, I think that you shouldn't have attempted to have Snivellus murdered by Moony." The fact her childhood friend had gone through with his plans and become a follower of Voldemort was still an extremely tender subject for Lily. I turned and walked back to where I had been sitting before. Padfoot didn't have a retort for that.

"What do the three of you think is going to happen next?" Moony asked. It was obvious that he was worried about Dumbledore's lack of concern.

"I think that we will just have to play it by ear. There is no way to foretell the future," Lily responded.

Moony nodded absent-mindedly.

"There is Divination..." Padfoot muttered, shooting a look at me. It was evident that he considered it extremely low for me to bring up the near death of Snivellus.

"Fortune-telling using crystal balls, tea leaves, and dream interpretations that an amateur obviously wrote when he had consumed a few too many flagons of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey," Lily laughed. "Surely you don't believe in that Padfoot."

Padfoot laughed, "Regulus does. Drives me mad."

"Dumbledore thinks Divination is important," Moony smiled. "Why else would he have a Divination teacher?"

"Maybe because it's a subject that has always been offered at Hogwarts," I suggested.

Padfoot snorted, "Dumbledore is considering getting rid of the subject of Divination altogether. He doesn't think much about it if he wants to nix it."

Lily was interested in this, "So he is going to fire Professor Gosling then?"

"Nah Lils, didn't you hear that the old oaf foretold the death of one of Voldemort's followers and then was found dead the next day?"

She gasped, "That's awful!"

"That's how it is now. Every man for himself. And if the scallywag was insolent enough to predict something like that..."

"I heard that Dumbledore has been trying to get a new teacher to take Divination for sometime now. Way before Gosling fell on his own sword. Apparently Professor Gosling has had an uneasy feeling for sometime, and guessed that resigning would solve that," Padfoot explained knowledgeably.

"How do you _know_ all this?" Lily demanded. She stared at Padfoot in complete amazement. He usually wasn't the one who knew all of the answers, especially when we were back at Hogwarts. He had been a troublemaker with me, and that had taken up a good portion of his time that he could have devoted to studying like Lily had done.

"Simple. I ask questions," he grinned.

"Are my ears deceiving me? The name Sirius and asking questions in the same sentence?" I smiled warmly at him.

"These are dark times Prongs. Do you blame me? You realize that we need to know as much as possible if we are going to do the impossible."

"Nothing is impossible if James Potter and Sirius Black are involved," Moony joked.

"Too true my friend." I leaned back thoughtfully, running a hand through my messy hair.

I looked around the room. The carpet was a mixture of saffron and a mahogany color that I detested. It looked like something that Lily's sister Petunia had thought would add to the decor in the room. Oddly enough, it sounded exactly like something that she would do. My eyes wandered away from that to look at the tattered Gryffindor banner that I had stolen in my seventh year as a reminder of Hogwarts. It was draped across the span of an entire wall, and clashed harshly with the saffron color in the carpet.

I turned back as Moony started talking again, "I'd give anything for things to be how they used to be..." he murmured. I hardly knew what 'used to be' was. It had seemed so long since we hadn't had something to worry about.

"I would think about what I was saying if I were you," Lily said seriously.

"C'mon Lils, you sound like my mother!" Padfoot sighed, "I don't understand why Dumbledore doesn't use something like a Timeturner and kill Voldemort before he came to have so much power..."

"PADFOOT! You should _know_ that altering the past and the future can have effects that no one can predict!" she looked absolutely astonished.

"She's right," I nodded.

"Prongs, is that all you can do? Agree with your wife?" Padfoot asked.

"I – no! But she _is_ right."

"I realize that. I was thinking out loud..."

"Why make it easier for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ("Voldemort!" said Padfoot) to read your mind Padfoot?" asked Moony, "You know what Dumbledore said about him being able to read minds by using Legilimency!"

"Why'd you think I have a plan to learn Occlumency?" Padfoot grinned, "Advanced magic, here I come!"

"I wish you the best of luck," Lily said sarcastically.

"Thanks!"

"Sarcasm..." she rolled her eyes.

"No! Was it _really_?"

I laughed. It felt amazingly good, to see everyone joking as though they had not a care in the world, as though the world wasn't rapidly crashing down upon us.

We talked and bickered for what seemed like hours.

Eventually Moony thought that it was wise if he left. Although it wasn't the night of a full moon, he was beginning to feel the effects of his 'hairy problem'. Padfoot and I walked him to the door while Lily went upstairs to check on Harry–she thought she had heard him.

Once Moony was gone, Padfoot and I walked back into the living room – where we had been before. Instead of sitting in the same seats we had sat in before, we sat in a corner. We hadn't decided on the seating arrangement, we had just sat there by unspoken agreement. Padfoot lounged on the chair he had chosen to sit in; his leg casually hanging off the edge of one of the arms of the chair so that his back was supported by the opposite arm of the chair. He crossed his leg that wasn't already on the arm of the chair across his other leg. He reminded me of the portrait of the king that was on the fourth floor corridor in Hogwarts next to the portrait of Balderdash the Wary. He might've been attempting to impersonate him, as if he was, he was doing an excellent job.

It was then that I realized Padfoot was being unusually somber. "What is it?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I guess I agree with Moony. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say that I'd give anything for things to be the way they used to be, but we're all being turned against each other James!" That was the first time he had used the name 'James' instead of 'Padfoot' in roughly a year. He was being more serious than I had ever seen him. "It's as if we are trapped in an iron cage with no food or water, and we are constantly betrayed by people we know and we are scared by the people who put us in our prison. The next thing they're going to say is 'may the best man win' and then we'll fall on each other to try to save ourselves. The only thing that anyone is going to think about is themselves, and even that won't save them in the end. Only willpower and determination are going to prevail, and even then... The odds are all against us. Unforgivable Curses, mass murders and disappearances. Even within the Order it seems that people are beginning to trust only themselves. No one talks as much as they once did in the meetings. Even when they do talk, it's small talk. Everyone is frightened that their friend has been put under the Imperious Curse. It's impossible to truly tell if anyone has been imperused because either they truly have, or they are not acting normal because they are trying to be cautious in their dealings with their fellow men.

"When is it ever going to stop? The Dark Arts seem to have a firm grip, and I see no way out. What is the point in fighting at this stage? Even Dumbledore sees that."

I listened carefully to everything he had to say. "You're right. No one knows who to trust.. It's mass chaos, and that is exactly what the enemy wants. No matter what we do, that is what the enemy is going to do. They have the upper hand, but I will not go down without a fight. But I will always trust my friends, no matter what they say or do. Because if I don't have my friends, who do I have? No one. Sure, I have myself, and I could isolate myself from the rest of the world easily enough but why? Why would I when I have everything I could want right here? Yeah, it's hard. But who ever said that it would be easy? I have Lily and Harry. I have Moony, Wormtail and you. I have the Order of the Phoenix – an open rebellion against the dark forces.

"It's just like _any_ war. You make sacrifices, but that is the only way to win. Six members of the Order have either lost their lives or have mysteriously disappeared. We can't just turn a blind eye to that. We knew those six people, and we aren't going to let them die in vain. The McKinnon family. Benjy Fenwick. Caradoc Dearborn. Gideon and Fabian Prewett. Dorcas Meadowes. We knew them Sirius. We interacted with most of them on a daily basis.

"You don't turn your back on a friend. It doesn't matter if they are alive or dead. As for Dumbledore, I don't think he is giving in, I think he realizes that we are taking a huge risk, even being a part of the Order. He wants us to take a step back and see the risks we are taking and to see if we really want to continue risking our lives for what we believe in. And if that is what he is doing, I know what my answer will be."

"James, I understand what you are saying, and where you are coming from. You would never turn your back on a friend, but what if that friend turned his back on you? And do you _know_ that is what Dumbledore is doing?"

"If your friend turns his back on you, he made a mistake. That doesn't mean you completely shut him out of your life. What if he is terribly sorry for what he did?"

"What if he is a lying, ignorant, good-for-nothing, bloody traitor?"

"You'll never know his true intentions. You just have to go with your feelings."

He shook his head. We had been over this topic before, and each time Padfoot thought that it was a waste of his time and energy. I stood firm on my beliefs that it was the highest form of deceit, to mistrust and be disloyal to a friend. Padfoot trusted only those who had earned his trust.. "What about my question about Dumbledore. How do you know his intentions?"

"I don't know them. I was just guessing." I grinned, "Now here's an idea for you. Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"He's a very busy man." Padfoot shrugged. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Exactly. If we don't trust him, who _do_ we trust?"

That question hung in the air for a few minutes. Both of us knew the answer to the question, but it was as if uttering it would seal our doom.

After two minutes of complete silence, I spoke up, "I guess what it all comes down to is that we have to trust our friends, and if we trust them, hopefully they will trust us."

Padfoot nodded, "Because if someone is your true friend, they won't curse you behind your back." He stopped talking for a moment. "Unless your friend has either been imperused or is really a Death Eater."

We both started to laugh again.

"Yes. If you think like that, then you are so paranoid that I am shocked that you come out of your house at all Padfoot."

"Well, here I am. So it is obvious that I have at least somewhat of a rational mind."

"You? Rational?" I grinned, "Well, I suppose you were – that once."

"Once Potter? No, more like fifty times."

"'Tis a small number compared to my total." I laughed.

"Who told you that you were right? House elves?"

"It's possible. And perhaps the giant squid back at Hogwarts."

"Don't forget Wormtail. He idolized the ground you walked on Prongs." Padfoot grinned at the memory.

"Ah, my good friend Wormy."

"What about your good friend Padfoot?"

I looked at Padfoot and smiled before becoming completely serious. "Padfoot?" I feigned puzzlement, "No, I don't believe I know a Padfoot." I stroked my imaginary beard. "What does he look like?"

"Intelligent bloke, he really is," Padfoot began. "He is about my height. Tall, dark, and handsome. Straight A student, and can change his shape at will. Never once missed a day of class. Stayed inside most of the time and studied. Once helped sneak a werewolf out of the castle."

"Definitely never heard of him." Padfoot howled in laughter. After a few seconds, I joined in.

Just then Lily came back downstairs. "Shh. Both of you. I just got Harry to go to sleep. You'll wake him up with all the noise the two of you are making."

Padfoot looked at me as though I had caused it all, "Yeah Prongs. Shh. My godson is trying to sleep upstairs." He stuck his chest out in a proud fashion. He absolutely loved the fact that he was the godfather of Harry. At every chance he got, he said something about it. And the two of them (Harry and Padfoot) were extremely close. Especially since Padfoot had gotten him a toy broomstick for his birthday a few months before. Harry didn't know that his godfather had given him the gift, much less that it was a gift. He simply enjoyed that Padfoot would chase him around as he glided a foot above the floor. I could only imagine what kind of a relationship they would have when Harry was older.

"My deepest apologies Padfoot. I wasn't aware I was disturbing your godson. I'll be sure to refrain from doing so in the future." I replied in my most solemn voice.

"It's okay. I believe that you truly mean what you say. But if I see it happen again..." he moved his forefinger across his neck and made a noise that sounded like a knife cutting into something.

"Point taken." I nodded at him. "Very intimidating by the way."

"I've been perfecting it over the years," he nodded.

"It's getting late," Lily said to Padfoot. That was his cue that it was time for him to go.

Padfoot stood up and I stood up with him. We walked out of the room and stood next to the front door. I reached out a hand to grab the doorknob, but he stopped me. I looked at him, and hesitated before allowing my hand to fall back to my side.

Now it was Padfoot's turn to hesitate. Then, he enveloped me in a bear hug. I hugged him back. He let go and pulled himself away from me, placing both of his hands on my shoulders. "Loyalty to friends..."

I nodded. "No matter what."

And with that, I opened the door. He walked out of it, but stopped with his hand resting on the door frame. He turned and smiled at me before leaving.


	3. The Cruciatus Curse Sirius POV

**_AN: Any of my readers who have the desire to kill me at the end of this chapter, please note that my beta (EsmeCarlisle1921) has already done so._**

**_Happy reading!_**

* * *

**Chapter Three: **_The Cruciatus Curse_

_(Sirius POV)_

I heard the door shut with an audible click as I walked at a fast pace away from the cottage at Godric's Hollow. A cold wind began to blow through the village, and I wrapped my cloak tighter against my body, hoping to prevent the wind from penetrating through the thick layer. As I walked out the gate of James and Lily's home, it was almost as if I felt a shiver run down my spine. I knew that I was out of the precautionary enchantments that Dumbledore had placed on the house earlier in preparation for the Order to have their meeting in privacy. It was easy to recognize that I was out of the protective enchantments surrounding the house because of the despair that immediately attempted to overwhelm me.

A dense fog covered the streets. I held my hand a few feet away from my face and was barely able to distinguish the outline of it. Even though I couldn't see them through the fog, I knew that dementors were close by. _Well, at least they hadn't attempted to steal my soul and send my body back to the Order for Christmas_, I thought, attempting to quench the dread that encompassed my thoughts and feelings. I was surprised at how hard it was to think of a humorous comment. It had been as easy as breathing when I had been with my friends, but with them absent, it was near impossible. Only then did I realize that it had been that way for an extremely long time. When you walked along the streets at night, you were forced to be on your guard at all times, and if you weren't, you could easily be murdered. Being able to sit inside a house, knowing that we were in no danger of being caught by Death Eaters had lulled me into a false sense of security. I quickly reestablished my caution as I reached into my cloak. I drew my wand. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

A remarkably life-like dog bounded out of the tip of my wand and began to run around me as if it were chasing birds. Once I started walking again, however, it moved right next to me, a protection from the darkness that had threatened to engulf me only moments before.

There was also one other thing that the Patronus provided. It provided a light, so that I could see everything that surrounded me in intricate detail. There were barely any houses on the street that James and Lily were on. Open fields and trees lined the cobblestone street. When they were illuminated by the iridescent glow that radiated from my Patronus, the trees looked human-like. From the angle I saw them at, they seemed to be in various stages of being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse. I looked away.

I turned off of the street that I affectionately had dubbed "Potter Lane" onto a street that had many more houses that were evenly distributed along the street. I allowed my Patronus to fade into nothing as I stowed my wand in my cloak. Then I landed on all four paws on the stone. It was too careless to risk being seen by a witch or wizard when there was as much fog as there was, and when it was pitch black outside. I began to slink along the road, keeping to the side but still observing everything around me. I paused at a house outside. A tattered Gryffindor banner hung above the front door. I had to admire the homeowners moxie. I was sure that the Death Eaters – who all seemed to be from Slytherin if they had attended Hogwarts – would have them murdered if they noticed the open rebellion.

I began walking again. The one and only tedious thing about being in animal form was the fact that if you didn't want to draw attention to the fact that there was more to you than the eye could see, you couldn't stare at something as though you were reading it or anything in that nature. If you did, to any wizard it was obvious that you were an Animagius. And to a Muggle, it was obvious that you were a figment of their imagination.

I stayed in the shadows to avoid being seen by any prying eyes. I turned on various streets at every chance I got. I wanted to see if there was anything abnormal going on in the quiet town established by Godric Gryffindor. A wizard walked past along the street I was on. He was dressed as Muggle – _poorly_ dressed as Muggle. If you ignored his mismatched clothes, you could see a wand that he had a death grip on in his hand. He was also looking around nervously. I wondered to myself what the point was in trying to disguise yourself from Death Eaters if you were going to have your wand in plain sight. Or why you would disguise yourself at all. It was just as common for Muggles to be attacked by Death Eaters.

The wizard looked behind him as he walked quickly forward. It was as if he was expecting someone to appear out of thin air. It was then that I noticed that the fog had thinned considerably. I instinctively moved farther into the shadows. The cautious man began to walk even faster and I had to trot to keep up with him. As he walked under a streetlight, I recognized him from a picture in the Daily Prophet as Gregory Thomas.

Gregory worked in an area of the Ministry of Magic that held Death Eaters until they were interrogated. That is, until a week prior. The official story was that he had been on a night shift, guarding the Death Eaters awaiting trial. He had been uneasy the whole night, and the fact that he had kept hearing noises hadn't helped. It had got to the point that he had decided to sit on the floor and attempt to get his thoughts to stop his imagination making up possible scenarios that could happen to him while on guard duty. His idea of fun was to make various sparks emit from his wand and to taunt the prisoners by performing spells in front of them. According to reports, he had decided that since Aurors were permitted to use the Unforgivable Curses to apprehend Death Eaters, that he would use the Cruciatus Curse on Death Eaters that were already apprehended. While he was in the middle of his "game", five Death Eaters infiltrated the Ministry and jinxed Thomas. It had been a miracle that they hadn't killed him. All of the Death Eaters that were in custody and being watched by Thomas were released. Since then he had been expecting Death Eaters to appear and finish the job they had started. One in particular. The prisoner that he had been torturing prior to the breach had been none other than my charming cousin – Bellatrix Lestrange, formerly known as Bellatrix Black. She was the most lethal Death Eater and presumably the Death Eater that was closest to Voldemort. If any Death Eater could be considered _close_ to him.

I looked ahead of me and saw that Gregory was turning around a corner far ahead of me. I made a huge leap forward, running to catch up to him. I heard a loud crack. Someone had Apparated up ahead. I heard a deep yell – Gregory. I also heard a cackle of laughter. I growled. The laugh was too familiar to my ears. I pushed myself harder and came to a jolting halt as I stopped and peered around the corner.

My assumption had been correct. Bellatrix Lestrange was talking in her high pitched, sing-song, screechy voice. My improved hearing as a dog allowed me to hear the conversation as if I was closer than I actually was.

"Gregory Thomas, is it?" I had obviously missed a small part of the conversation where she had most likely asked him what his name was. "And what made you think you had the right to use the Cruciatus Curse on me? I'm more than twice the witch you'll ever be!" she screeched.

I smiled to myself as I changed back into human form. This was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I walked toward Bellatrix and Gregory, "Naturally, Bellatrix, you will always be more than twice the witch he is. Or have you forgotten that he is actually a wizard?" Gregory jumped when as he turned around and saw me walking toward them. I stopped next to Gregory and put my left hand on his shoulder. My right hand gripped my wand which I held at my side. Although Gregory had jumped when he had heard me begin to speak, it was nothing compared to how high he jumped when he heard Bellatrix begin to speak again.

"You!" she sneered, "Come to save your fellow Gryffindor?" I looked at her like she was crazy, which infuriated her all the more. "Oh yes, your friend Gregory talked all about the chivalry and might that all students in Gryffindor had. And how Slytherin had no important attributes. And then he used the Cruciatus Curse on me. ME!" The last word she screeched louder than ever before.

"He isn't my friend, but I believe that we could quickly become friends. He thinks like I do." I smiled at her.

She laughed again, "Get out of my way _Black_! It will be no loss to any of the Black family if I finish you off."

I raised my wand, and Gregory did as well. "Expelliarmus!" she pointed her wand at the two of us. Both of our wands went flying, but before she could prepare to catch them, I jumped into the air and caught mine. Gregory wasn't quick enough, and his wand was lost to my cousin. "Crucio!" she smiled as she flicked her wand at Gregory and he crumpled on the cobblestone as if he was a puppet and she had cut the thin string that had been allowing him to have the ability to stand.

He screamed out in pain and clawed at the uneven edges of the stone. I was sickened. I raised my wand, about to disarm her, when I heard the familiar voice of Prongs whisper, "Run. I'll do everything I can." I knew from experience that he was under his Invisibility Cloak. I hesitated, "Do it. The Order can't afford to lose any more members." That was true. I turned and ran to and around the corner. I changed back into animal form, and moved to lay inconspicuously next to a fence that surrounded a cottage.

A cackle of laughter and then the familiar, "Avada Kedavra!" A loud pop of Bellatrix Disapparating.

I felt a sickening jolt in my stomach. Who was dead? Had the Order just lost another member?


	4. The Three Confrontations Lily POV

**Chapter Four:** _The Three Confrontations_

_(Lily POV)_

I paced back and forth in the small kitchen. James had said that he needed to check on Padfoot – that something wasn't right. They had always had an extremely close relationship – as if they were brothers – and seemed to know when the other was in danger or needed assistance. So James had taken his Invisibility Cloak to see if Padfoot was alright.

That had been an hour ago.

I had no doubt in his abilities. He was one of the best dueler's that I knew – second only to Dumbledore. I had never once doubted the fact that he would come home, even in the dark times that faced us. Whether he had gone on a mission of some sort for the Order, or slipped on his Invisibility Cloak to get out of the house without being detected, he had always come back.

But anxiety still crept up from behind, and I found myself continuously glancing out the window, hoping to see him walking up the path to the house. I kept telling myself that there way no reason to worry – that he would be back.

To reassure myself, I began to think about the three confrontations that James and I had experienced together that involved He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named...

The first confrontation was by no means the most difficult. It was probably easiest one to get out of. We had been on a mission of sorts for the Order. Our first one after being recruited. The plan had been simple. Caradoc Dearborn had overheard that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had planned to attack a family of five because it had no Wizarding lineage. The two of us were to go to the residence of the family and wait. We were told to say in hiding unless You-Know-Who or one of his followers made a move. But it had gone horribly wrong.

* * *

It was dusk when we reached our destination. Upon our arrival, we looked around the area and scouted out a place to stay hidden from unwanted, prying eyes. We found a secluded, broken down shed that gave us a clear view of both the front and the back lawn. Before we had even left on the mission, we had both decided that we would stay together. If we were going to succeed in the task we had been assigned, it was better to be united than to be separated.

James closed the door of the shed, but left an inch-wide crack so that we could see out both windows and see the path that led back to the shed. It was overgrown with grass and weeds, and was only faintly there. One of the windows was only as big as my hand. It revealed the front yard. I examined the different details of the landscape that was shown through the smaller window.

A huge fountain that had a swan with its wings spread sat in the center of the yard. It looked like it was made out of marble. Thin, continuous streams of water shot from the swan's open beak and landed in a small stone dish that was sitting on a thin stone pillar that was raised higher than the base of the fountain and was directly underneath the swan's beak. The base of the fountain was tall and had a large diameter. Obviously the base held large quantities of water. The swan was near the front of the fountain, and it was facing the road that led up to the house. The wings that were spread had spontaneous bursts of water that shot out from the tips of the intricately detailed feathers. It made it seem like the giant bird was skimming the surface of the water and causing water to hit its wings and ricochet off.

The path that led to the front door was made out of roughly cut stones that gave the home an eerie look. Mosses and wild grass grew between the cracks in the stone. Around the perimeter of the house sat a stone wall. Ivy danced its way across the wall, and it was nearly impossible to distinguish the wall's true identity.

It was over an hour before anything happened.

"Lily," James said urgently, touching my shoulder and pulling me out of my thoughts.

I turned and looked at him. He pointed at the window that was opposite of the one I had been looking out of the entire time we had been in the shed. I walked over to the window and looked out of it. A man in his late thirties or early forties was walking toward the backdoor of the house. He stopped as he reached a beam of light that was shining down on the lawn from one of the windows on the upper floor. I gasped out loud. "Caradoc..." I whispered at the same time that James muttered "Dearborn..."

James looked at me, "What is he doing?" he whispered.

"I don't know." I admitted as I looked back out at the figure of Caradoc. It was extremely odd that he was here. He had no reason to be.

"I need to find out," he replied.

Before I could say anything to him, he had fished his Invisibility Cloak out of his front pocket and slipped it over himself so that it covered his entire body. "James! What in the world are you doing?"

"Caradoc shouldn't be here. Dumbledore told him not to be. He's been imperused!" a voice answered me from the darkness. "It only makes sense."

"You're going to blow our cover!" I whispered as I saw the crack in the door widen just enough for him to get out and then close again. "James!" I hissed urgently. Another figure had appeared in the backyard. He was wearing a black cloak, and it was obvious that he was a Death Eater. I held my breath as I watched and waited.

I jumped as I saw the door of the shed open and close again. James pulled the cloak off and put it in his pocket, "There's a Death Eater out there. Let's wait and see..."

We waited for roughly five minutes. By that time, another Death Eater had appeared. The first Death Eater walked over to Caradoc and said something in his ear. Caradoc turned on the spot and disappeared. The second Death Eater pulled up his left sleeve of his robe and pressed down on something – the Dark Mark. It was time to act.

James pushed open the door of the shed again, and we slipped out of the enclosed hiding place. We inched along the perimeter of the yard with our wands drawn. James shot a spell across the yard just as a figure materialized out of thin air. The second Death Eater crumpled to the ground. I aimed at the first Death Eater, but James's first spell had given our position away. He deflected it and shot a killing curse in my direction. I dropped down and crouched on the soft grass to avoid the lethal spell.

I glanced over to my right, and saw that James had started dueling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I fired stunning spell at the first Death Eater and made sure that it had hit its mark before quickly standing up and shooting a spell at the only Dark Wizard that remained standing – You-Know-Who himself.

James and I moved in unison, but our opponent seemed to be able to deflect each spell that was skillfully aimed at him. He ducked and deflected spells and looked as though he was dancing. The prospect of getting away alive seemed bleak. Suddenly there was a loud pop. The three of us all turned to see who had Apparated. The faint outline of Caradoc was only just distinguishable. I saw a flash of red light and turned to see where it had come from. James had taken the opportunity of You-Know-Who's momentary lapse in awareness and stunned him.

I reached over and grabbed his arm before turning on the spot and Disapparating out of harm's way. As soon as our feet touched the ground, James pulled away from me. "We have to go back. Caradoc doesn't know what he's doing. He's going to be killed."

I shook my head. "No, we can go help him when it is safer. We barely got away as it is."

* * *

The second duel with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been based off of the first one. James had been planning on how he could get Caradoc out of the situation that he was in with the most minimum risk possible. Dumbledore had said that Caradoc wasn't in very much danger because You-Know-Who needed him to be his pawn.

James trusted that Dumbledore was right when he said this, so he spent months perfecting each minute detail of the plan until it was flawless. We knew where all the Death Eaters, witches, and wizards were hiding out and we planned to Apparate fairly close to the hideout. We had Apparated there before to watch the habits of each individual Death Eater to solidify the plan.

We had reviewed the plan so many times that it was foolproof. We would arrive at the hideout and make sure that it was like every other time we had visited the location. Then, we would apprehend You-Know-Who's known Death Eaters. They were the ones that would be willing to fight to the death. The ones that were imperused were bound to become confused with various fights going on in different locations on the premises. The rest of the Order would be there as well.

With all of the observing that we had done over the months, I had become familiar with most of the Death Eaters appearances and habits. Amycus and Alecto Carrow, for example. They were brother and sister. Alecto had striking blonde hair that was usually tied out of her face in a tight bun that reminded me of how McGonagall wore her own hair. She was fairly plump, and took pride in patrolling the hideout on the inside and out. It was easy to hear her unique yell as she ordered Death Eaters and imperused victims alike. Amycus was extremely thin comapared to Alecto. He was also very tall, which made him clumsy. He had such long limbs that it seemed that he didn't know what to do with them. The confused look on his face and a stoop that he seemed to have developed at a young age combined with his long arms gave him a shocking resemblance to a gorilla. He usually stayed inside the hide out, presumably on Alecto's orders because she seemed ashamed to even know him – let alone be related to him.

Avery was known to be one of You-Know-Who's first Death Eaters. He patrolled constantly outside the hideout. We had never seen him actually go inside the building. He was of medium build and looked extremely intimidating due to the fact that always had either a scowl or a glare on his face. He was known to hide in various areas around the premises, watching for anyone who wanted to infiltrate the hideout.

Barty Crouch Jr. was almost as gangly as Amycus was. He almost always had the stubble of a beard along his jaw line. His clothes were torn and disheveled. And he had the habit of dressing like a Muggle because he enjoyed roaming the streets of Muggle towns and cornering his prey before attacking. The product of his enjoyment – commonly called "Muggle-hunting" – usually resulted in the death of his victim. On one occasion, he had brought his victim back and various Death Eaters had taken turns using the Cruciatus Curse on her. Because of his Muggle-hunting hobby, he was one of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's most loyal Death Eaters.

Although Barty Crouch Jr. was one of You-Know-Who's most loyal followers, there was one Death Eater in particular that was definitely his most loyal. Bellatrix Lestrange took pleasure in torturing and killing. It didn't seem to matter who her victim was. Anything she could do to please her master, she was willing to do. She usually wore all black, and a scowl almost always was on her face unless she was either torturing or killing someone. When Barty Crouch Jr. had brought his Muggle victim back to the hideout, she had been the one that had tortured her the most, as well as the one that had used the Killing Curse to finish her off. Bellatrix also enjoyed punishing various Death Eaters and imperused victims if they put a toe out of line. Other Death Eaters muttered how unfair she was behind her back, and some shot glares at her as she passed them; but she seemed oblivious to both. It was obvious that she was in charge when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wasn't there, and she took pride in that, using her authority constantly.

Bellatrix's husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, was nearly as bad as his heartless wife. He also enjoyed what he did. He had brown hair that fell to his shoulders. He also assisted Bellatrix in handing out punishments ruthlessly, and seemed to be just as keen – if not more so – to please his master. He also took charge with certain things in You-Know-Who's absence.

Rabastan was the brother of Rodolphus, but he wasn't as swift to hand out punishments, and preferred to stay out of trouble himself by doing all that was asked of him, nothing more, nothing less. He stayed inside a lot of the time, unless he was asked to do something.

Most of the rest of the Death Eaters stayed inside unless they left to do their master's bidding, so we hadn't had the chance to recognize their habits. Nonetheless, we felt confident as we Apparated to the location that we had become so familiar with. Avery and Alecto were both outside the building, talking quietly to each other. James and I flicked our wands in their direction simultaneously. They fell to the ground, making no noise at all. We looked around to make sure that no other Death Eaters were nearby before we levitated the limp bodies of Avery and Alecto into a nearby bush. We placed an enchantment on a small wooded area so that the other members of the Order could Apparate without being heard by any Death Eaters.

Mad-Eye was the first to arrive, followed closely by Wormtail, Moony and Padfoot. Only a minute elapsed before Dedalus and Marlene appeared. After that, the members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived in pairs, one after the other – determined to rescue a friend. Frank and Alice, Emmeline and Benjy, Edgar and Elphias, Sturgius and Gideon, Dorcas and Fabian, and the last pair to arrive was Dumbledore and Aberforth.

Mass chaos erupted as the Order of the Phoenix stormed the hideout of the Death Eaters. We had made it clear that we had only two goals: to rescue Caradoc, and to stay alive. James and I stayed together and went in search of Caradoc, dodging spells that were being shot in every direction.

After over ten minutes, we found Caradoc. He was in one of the rooms that looked as though it was used to formulate plans. James and I convinced him to follow us, and with his help we found an alternate route out of the building. James sent green sparks shooting out from the tip of his wand, signaling to the Order members that we had succeeded. The members were gradually able to escape, one by one, back into the forest and Apparate out again. Mad-Eye took Caradoc with him.

By the time James and I had made sure that everyone was accounted for and out of harm's way, You-Know-Who had been summoned by one of his Death Eaters. He noticed us almost immediately. We had been about to Apparate away from danger when he shot a Killing Curse that narrowly missed me. James yelled out in anger and began shooting various spells at him as fast as he could. I heard the Death Eater's master order them away. He had recognized James and I from our previous encounter, and was determined to finish what he had failed to finish the last time. The Death Eaters all retreated back inside the hideout as I ran forward, doing as James had done; shooting spells as fast as I possibly could, attempting to assist James in any way I could.

I saw a green light erupt from the end of our adversary's wand, aimed for James. He twisted to the side in midair to avoid it, and directed a spell back in his rival's direction. This went on for some time; You-Know-Who intending a Killing Curse to hit James. James dodging the spell and returning a different spell in his direction.

I occasionally aimed a spell at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but most of the time I was worried that I would hit James because of how much the two of them were moving around. The two of them looked like lions that were circling around each other, attacking each other at every opportunity. Neither of them gained the upper hand.

Somehow James was able to avoid the Killing Curses and deflect the other curses that were aimed in his direction. And James's opponent was deflecting spells as if it was child's play. Very rarely, a flash of green came out of the end of James's wand, but his assailant ducked and swerved agilely so that James was unable to hit him.

After ten minutes of this, James began to show weariness. On impulse, I moved forward and cast a shield charm between You-Know-Who and James. I reached out and got James out of danger using Apparation.

When we touched solid ground, the members of the Order surrounded us. James collapsed on the ground. The second duel had taken a lot out of him.

* * *

The final encounter happened four months after the second one. We were at home when Padfoot's Patronus appeared.

It was only three words, "Attack... Moony's... Hurry..." It would have made no sense to anyone outside of the Order. James jumped to his feet and looked at me. We stood there for a moment, shocked. Then James reached out and grabbed my hand before Apparating with me.

We both had our wands drawn when we reached our destination. Everything was mass chaos and it was impossible to distinguish what was going on at first glance. Turning, I hid behind a wall that was behind me. I needed to know what was happening before jumping into the battle. James had other ideas. He immediately ran at Antonin Dolohov and began dueling him. It seemed as though all of the Order members were here, as well as all of the Death Eaters.

Mad-Eye and Bellatrix Lestrange were weaving in and out of the crowd of witches and wizards; each aiming to kill. I had never watched Mad-Eye duel with a true opponent before. When we had fought alongside each other, I had been too preoccupied with my foe to watch him as he dueled. I was shocked at how Mad-Eye was able to dodge each curse that was shot out of the end of Bellatrix's wand. He had never seemed very agile to me – until now. For every spell that Bellatrix aimed at him, he had two thrown back at her. The two of them seemed to moving around the most, and also seemed to be much more aggressive towards each other than any of the others. In a way I was glad that he was dueling Bellatrix, he could retaliate just like her.

Moony and Barty Crouch Jr. were also dueling each other. They seemed to be simply circling each other, neither was making a move to attack. Moony moved his lips and shot a spell that Crouch deflected with a flick of his wand. Then Crouch attempted to do what his opponent had tried. Moony waved his wand and created a shield between the two of them. That enraged Crouch, and in his frustration, he shot spell after spell at the shield. Each spell ricocheted off of the shield, which forced Crouch to dodge and repel his own spells. It would have been laughable, except I knew the danger that we were all in.

Right next to where I was, Alecto Carrow and Frank were ruthlessly attacking one another. Neither one was able to gain the upper hand, even though it looked like Frank had gained it once or twice. The fact that he continually glanced over at his wife to make sure she was handling Alecto's brother, Amycus, without very much difficulty. And she was. Unlike Frank, she wasn't worried that he wouldn't make it out alive. She trusted him one-hundred percent. The fact that Amycus wasn't the best dueler gave her a great advantage, and within a few minutes of me watching her, she had hit him with a stunning jinx.

Padfoot was a different story. He was directly in front of me, so I was able to watch everything that happened between him and Lucius Malfoy. Padfoot had always been known for his elaboration when flicking his wand. Sure enough, he waved it this way and that, and it seemed as though he was showing off as much as possible. He raised his wand over his head and flicked it, attempting to disarm Lucius. It wasn't as if Lucius wasn't showing off. He cast his spells with almost as much flourish as Padfoot, though he wasn't as eccentric. Since I was so close to their duel, I could hear the conversation that the two of them began to have.

Lucius began by sneering at Padfoot. "Being a blood traitor wasn't enough, was it Black? You have to dishonor your family name further by spilling pureblood."

"Yes, because I am running around killing innocent people." Padfoot rolled his eyes.

"No. You are doing much worse than that. You are attempting..." Lucius shot a Killing Curse at Padfoot, "...to kill me. To kill pureblooded wizards when they are only trying to put half-bloods, Muggles, and Mudbloods such as your friend's wif–"

"_**SHUT UP!**_" Padfoot bellowed, "_**JUST SHUT UP YOU SELF-PITYING, IGNORANT, IMBECILE!**_"

Padfoot began to shoot spells, only attempting to kill. I smiled slightly; I was flattered that he would defend me like that.

My eyes glanced over other various Order members and Death Eaters dueling one another. I saw James and Avery dueling each other in a far corner, and I watched the two of them. It was obvious after observing the two of them, that Avery was an amateur compared to James. Avery was trying his hardest to either kill or disarm James, and James was simply playing with Avery. I watched as James used spells such as Diffindo to cut open various sections of Avery's robes. It was obviously infuriating Avery, because each time he had a new tear in his robes, he seemed to be able to shoot more and more spells one after the other. Eventually, James got bored and simply stunned Avery.

After observing all of the various fights that were happening, I entered the fray. I ran over to James and we both began dueling a Death Eater by the name of Wilkes. He was no match for the pair of us, and after a few minutes, James shot a green light at him and he dropped to the ground. Dead. We then assisted a few Order members with their duels, particularly Moony and Padfoot.

Gradually the amount of Death Eaters that were left standing became fewer and fewer. We began to feel victorious – but that feeling was quickly diminished as a scream rent the air. No one could tell who had screamed, but it was obvious as to the reason the person had let out the blood curdling noise. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had joined the battle. James began to cast spells in his direction, to attract his attention. He didn't want anyone else to face his wrath – not even Dumbledore. I ran over to help him, and a circle of Death Eaters and Order members formed to watch the duel.

The two of us shot stunning spells and Unforgivable Curses alike. When he gained the advantage, the Death Eaters cheered. When we achieved dominance for a short period of time, the members of the Order of the Phoenix cheered. Some of them seemed like they wanted to assist us, but were afraid of hitting either James or me, so they refrained from helping.

James and I stood side by side, casting spells in unison. You-Know-Who was dodging and deflecting the spells, unable to cast his own spells for fear of being hit with one of ours. He moved back and forth, all around the circle of bodies. A look of immense concentration was on his face. I began to hear the noise of people Disapparating all around me. The Death Eaters were retreating for some reason. Possibly because they knew their master was barely able to keep us at bay. Finally the last two Death Eaters – Bellatrix and Lucius – Disapparated with an audible 'pop'.

You-Know-Who seemed to realize that he was severely outnumbered. He let out a furious hiss before Disapparating to join his Death Eaters – wherever they had gone.

A cheering exploded and the Order of the Phoenix swarmed around James and I...

* * *

I was pulled from my thoughts as the front door opened. I ran out of the kitchen and stopped as I reached the front door. Both James and Padfoot were standing there, grinning from ear to ear. I ran at James and wrapped my arms around him, happy that they were safe.


End file.
